Kings of Sudbaya
NB: This lore will be dissolved into tribal sections Summary During the events of Realm of Magyk , Kael can come across several lore entries in the Kings of Sudbaya series. Volumes A History of the Harad A History of the Feim A History of the Orm A History of the Nimhin A History of the Temir A History of the Wul A History of the Ton A History of the Syk Old Content - to be Deleted eventually 'An Introductory Volume' Sudbaya's history is long and exciting. It includes tales of heroes, dragons and adventures. But, to a historian, it is especially exciting, for Sudbaya has one of the most well recorded histories in the the North. And throughout its long history, the Kings and Queens of Sudbaya have been present, changing history and shaping the future. The year is 4E 477 and a team of some of the most acomplished historians is gathered to begin the writing of the biggest historical project Sudbaya has ever seen: '''The Kings of Sudbaya'.'' Before we begin on this journey, a journey that may take years or even decades to complete, we shall list the acclaimed historians involved in this great project. Olfred Ingerson - Master of the Library of Stone in Ormyrban '' ''Bjorn Kvenis - Archaeologist Helga Frolheim - Archaeologist Hadvar Hammerstone - Archaeologist Owell Krall - Historian Ingrid Matterin - Historian Idolaf Millen - Historian Thagol Ulran - Historian Olaf Shieldborn - Historian Uruk Malagmal - Historian Phyrian Thaloran - Historian 'Vol. 1 - The Time before Kings' NOW HERE ' ''For hundreds of years Kings ruled Sudbaya, but that has not always been so. There was a time before the kings, when tribes were ruled by shamans. Shamans, animal-worshiping priests of the ancient Nyrds, ruled from about 3E 3600 (when Sacen and Pictian tribes began moving into Sudbaya) to about 3E 4096 when King Fjorland of the Nimhin overthrew the last shaman rulers in Sudbaya. Almost no records exist from this turbulent time, but what little evidence exists suggests that the shamans were cruel leaders whom all the Sudbayans feared. What sparked the uprising of Nidud of the Harad in 3E 4003 remains a mystery, but some have suggested a wane in the shamans' magyk or that the shamans pushed their tribes too far. Another version, popular in Harad hold, is the tale of Nidud, where the Gods come to Nidud and he overthrows the Shamanistic spirits in favour of the traditional Nyrdic Pantheon. "Nidud was a hunter. He had been tracking a stag through the forest for a week. Finally, the stag had entered into a clearing where an ancient standing stone stood. As Nidud was about to fire his bow, he noticed some other animals entering the clearing. A raven, a bear, a boar and a snake joined the stag in the circle. They stood still and all let Nidud kill them. Nidud, happy, returned to his tribe with the animals and they feasted and gave thanks to the spirits. '' ''A month later, Nidud was tracking a snow leoperd through the tundra when, again, it stopped at an ancient standing stone and was joined by animals. This time, it was joined by a hare, a wolf and even a mammoth and once again they stood still and all let Nidud kill them. It took 5 men to carry the game back to the tribe and once again they feasted and gave thanks to the spirits. '' ''6 months later, Nidud was walking on the beach when he came across a standing stone, like the ones he had seen before. Soon after, a seal came to his feet and an entire school of fish jumped out of the water to land before him. An so Nidud killed them all and 10 men came to his aid to carry it all back to the tribe. But just before he left, a whole whale rose out of the water and landed on the shore. So Nidud killed the whale and it took 100 men to return it to the tribe. And once again they feasted and gave thanks to the spirits. Now a whole year later, Nidud decided to make a pilgrimage to the ancient standing stones. So first he travelled to the stone in the forest where he had tracked the stag and he found beside it an old man. The old man spoke to Nidud saying, "Are you here to thank me for the meat I gave to your people?", but before Nidud could answer, he disapeared. Next Nidud travelled to the stone in the tundra where he had tracked the snow leoperd and he found beside it a beautiful young maiden who spoke to Nidud saying, "I have given your tribe a gift, yet you do not thank me?", but before Nidud could answer, she disapeared. Finally, Nidud travelled to the stone on the beach where the whale had risen out of the sea. Beside the stone, stood a powerful man, a warrior. "You have been so fortunate as to see us. Meditate on it, you will know who to thank for these gifts." And once again the man disapeared before Nidud could reply. And so Nidud returned to his tribe and told the shamans of the things he had seen, to which they replied, "We thank only the spirits for these gifts, not these apparitions. Speak not of these things, for they are blasphemy. They are not the spirits for the spirits only appear to their shamans, not a lowly hunter!" And so Nidud left the shamans unsatisfied and began to meditate. And in his meditation he realised that the figures who had approached him were the Gods of the Midbayan tribes who had traded with his tribe. And so, knowing who had given him these gifts, Nidud overthrew the shamans and took control of the tribe and began the worship of the Gods." '''Vol. 2 - The 41st Century The 41st Century begins on a high note as King Nidud of the Harad overthrows shaman rule for his tribe in 3E 4003. This paves the way for the great history of kings that follows. However, Nidud's time as king is short as he soon dies from a disease in the year 4004. He is replaced by his brother Torr. Torr immediatly began Harad expansion and soon expanded his tribe's territory from Fortholm in the north to Cosnjir in the south. The change from shaman rule to kingship was not easy for the Harad, however, as the change threatened the shamans of the neighbouring tribes, particularily the Wul tribe. In 4017, the Wul shamans and the remaining shamans in Harad managed to place Verdundi. wife of Torr, on the throne. Torr was sealed in a cave and Verdundi became the Matriarch of the Harad. The shamans once again were in control of Sudbaya, but not for long. In 4021, miles to the north, the tribe of Temir becomes the second tribe to shed shaman rule in favour of kingship. This time the king is Argus, a powerful and greedy man. His rule is long and cruel and makes the people of Temir wonder if kings are really better than the shamans they defeated. Little happens in the next few years. Matriarch Verdundi dies in 4031 and is replaced by her daughter Urdi, who dies in 4040 and is replaced by her own daughter Skuldi. Three years later the tyrant Argus is forced to abdicate and is replaced by his son Hrad. Hrad, a wiser and more benevolent ruler, decides to begin trading with the Midbayan tribes. Archaeological evidence suggests this is when the Midbayan tribes started trading with Sudbayan tribes, but some other evidence, like the legend of King Nidud, suggests that the Midbayans had started trading much earlier. In 4049, Hrad is assassinated by his brother Balgruuf, the first assassination of many in this tale of kings. Balgruuf takes the trade his brother began and magnifies it so that Temir becomes the wealthiest of the tribes. And with this wealth came the prosperity that so many other tribes longed for. Soon, in 4052, the Syk becomes a kingship as King Fargus ascends to the throne. Years later, the trend continues as King Volund overthrows shaman rule in the Wul tribe in 4060. However, Volund, possessing some of the best technology in Sudbaya, constructs Wesheim (then named Wulheim) as proper settlement with wooden buildings and walls. The same year, fearful of losing support, Matriarch Skuldi sends gifts to the Wul and forges an alliance with them. However, this alliance does not help her as she is assassinated by her son Gernolf in 4062. Gernolf restores kingship in Sudbaya and advances agriculture in Harad, especially in the region surrounding Cosnjir. In the same year King Balgruuf of the Temir is assassinated by his son Argus, who becomes King Argus II. King Argus II expands Temir territory throughout the Temir river. In 4065 the Orm tribe, still under shaman rule, becomes more and more influencial and powerful. This does not save its shaman rulers from Bjorn who, in the year 4067 (supposedly exactly 4000 years after the famous descension of Ormyr), took over the Orm, declared himself king and began to construct Ormyrban as a permanent city. This began the line of Ormyrian kings, an influencial and famous line. The latter half of the century is not very well documented, but the following can be gathered from the little evidence available. In 4075, King Argus II of the Temir abdicates peacefully in favour of his son, Ralof, who soon squanders the wealth of the Temir for his own pleasure. 4086 is an eventful year as is heralds the begining of the kingship of Feim with King Olaf and the begining of the kingship of the Ton with King Brinjolf. The year also marks the death of King Fargus of the Syk. His son Sharn replaces him and soon begins trading with the Midbayan tribes, much to the dismay of the Temir, whose financial power begins to fall. In 4087 King Volund of the Wul dies and is replaced by his son Norn. Norn, during his rule, expands Wul territory from Wulheim (Wesheim) all the way to Mt. Montana. In 4096 the last shaman rule falls as King Fjorland becomes the first king of the Nimhin. A year later, King Ralof of the Temir was assassinated by his son Olaf, who in his rule restored some of the wealth of the Temir, but squandered it in a war with the Syk, whcih he lost. 'Vol. 3 - The 42nd Century' The 42nd Century begins with the death of the Wul king, Norn; assassinated by his son Olaf. Olaf takes over and makes some advances in agriculture during his reign. In 4104, this death trend continues as not one, but two kings die. King Brinjolf of the Ton dies a natural death and is replaced by his son Ulfred, who immediately begins construction on the city of Longmyr and expands the Ton territory to as far as Fortholm. The 2nd death in 4104 was that of King Fjorland of the Nimhin, a mysterious death. King Fjorland was replaced by his son Mann who expanded territory and established Hamir as a permanent settlement, all the while becoming ever more unpopular within the tribe. The very morbid start of the century continues as yet another King, King Olaf of the Wul was, quite ironically, assassinated by his own brother Sigmun in 4107. In his reign, Sigmun constructed the settlement of Arun. In 4109, King Gernolf of the Harad dies and is replaced by his son, King Nidud II. Nidud II consturcted Harad as a permanent settlement during his reign, and many men of his tribe were worked to death in the process. In 4110, King Sharn of the Syk was assassinated by his son Thrym. Thrym was a brutal but efficient leader who expanded the Syk territory to roughly what it is today. Many uneventful years passed by until 4119, when King Sigmun of the Wul is assassinated by his son Norn. King Norn II was a very popular leader who turned much of the land in between Wes and Arun into farmland. In 4120, after a fight, King Bjorn of the Orm was locked up in Morrisyd mountain by his son Hamon. King Hamon was a cruel ruler who was very militaristic. In 4121, King Thrym of the Syk died and ended the 1st Sykdnjirian dynasty. He was replaced by King Darlon, a cruel leader who was hated by all the people of the Syk. In 4123, King Mann of the Nimhin abdicated after riots and was replaced by his son, King Hamon. In the same year, King Olaf of the Temir was forced to abdicate, due to his squandering of the tribe's wealth, in favour of the chief hunter, Sinjor. King Sinjor became friends with King Hamon of the Nimhin and the two tribes formed an alliance. In 4128, King Olaf of the Feim died a mysterious death and was replaced by his son, King Gorn, who extended Feim territory from Antronjir to Amanyr and built Felantimyr as a permanent settlement. In 4131, King Nidud II of the Harad fled Harad after people rose up against him. His brother, King Torr II, replaced him. In 4136, King Darlon of the Syk abdicated after riots and was replaced by his brother Thorim. King Thorim tried to reintroduce shamanism, but was thwarted in 4138 by his nephew Mallorn, who became a prosperous king, seeing many good summers and greatly improving the Syk agriculture and infrastructure. In that same year, King Gorn of the Feim died and was replaced by his brother Buurn, who extended Feim territory down into Suplyr. Late in 4138, King Torr II of the Harad started a war with the Ton, who were being ruled by King Ulfred. The Harad reclaimed the Fortholm area by 4146 and then called a hasty peace treaty, which the defenceless Ton had no choice but to accept. In 4141 King Hamon of the Nimhin was assassinated by his daughter Astrid, the first Queen of the Nimhin.Queen Astrid was a very militaristic ruler who improved the Nimhin military significantly. In that same year, another King Hamon, this one of the Orm, abdicated after a revolt in Ormyrban. He was soon replaced by an equally cruel leader, King Tjor. The next year the revolt spread to the Feim where King Buurn of the Feim was overthrown after riots. His brother Dolm took over and saw two decades of peace, although very few records of this time exist. In 4146 the cruel King Tjor of the Orm was assassinated and replaced by his son Mann, a much kinder man who oversaw the invention of a large raft, facilitating the first major trade along the Orm river. Two years later, in 4148, King Ulfred of the Ton, having lost the 1st Harad-Ton war, died a natural death and was replaced by his brother Skulvar, who expanded the Ton territory away from Harad towards the Tonjirian bay. In 4155, the Nimhin Queen Astrid of the Nimhin's chief warrior, Mann, asassinated her and took the throne as King Mann II. In his very short reign, he continued to assert military dominance in the Nimhin. The next year, King Skulvar of the Ton died a mysterious death and was replaced by his brother, King Edvarr. King Edvarr ruled with an iron fist and began raising a large army, squandering much of the Ton's wealth in the process. The next year, in 4157, King Mann II of the Nimhin died and was replaced by his son, the mad King Orgrim. He was highly religious, to the point of obsession, where he spent all his tribe's money in building statues of the Nyrdic Gods. He worsened relationships with the Ton, but improved relationships with the Syk, late in his reign. That same year, King Norn II of the Wul, the last of his dynasty, died. He was replaced by King Dolorn, who extended the Wul farmlands north of Arun, resulting in the Wul prospering even more. Year later, in 4162, King Dolm of the Feim was assassinated by his son Oleg, who ruled the Feim with complete cruelty for the rest of the century. In 4164, King Sinjor of the Temir was assassinated and was replaced by his daughter, Queen Aeda. Queen Aeda, the first queen of the Temir, brought an era of prosperity and peace that lasted into the 43rd century. Many years later, in 4172, King Mann of the Orm was assassinated by his son Jorgun. Jorgun saw an era of peace and constructed Shinyd as a premanent city. In 4175, King Dolorn of the Wul was forced to abdicate by his son Torg, a cruel man who was hated by his people. The next year, King Edvarr of the Ton abdicated after riots and was replaced by Queen Gertrude. She was a strong woman who expanded her territory all the way to Norda, angreing the Nimhin in the process. In 4179, King Torg of the Wul was sealed in a cave by his nephew, King Sigmun II. Sigmun, wishing well for his people, saw the reproduction of many of the Ormyrian technological advancements, allowing the Wul to prosper even more. In that same year, King Torr II of the Harad, a hero in the eyes of the people, died and was replaced by his nephew King Bjorn, of whom no records exist, unfortunately. What we do know is that, in 4181, King Bjorn of the Harad died a natural death and was replaced by his son, King Fargus, who improved the agriculture in the land and reigned peacefully for two decades. This peace did not extend to the Syk, whose king, King Mallorn, began to dabble in the arcane arts. Accused of shamanism, he was sealed in a cave and left to die by his nephew Rorn. Rorn was extremely religious and befriended the equally religious Nimhin and formed a strong alliance. In 4187, due to rising tensions with the Nimhin, Queen Gertrude of the Ton was forced to abdicate and was replaced by her brother, King Ulfred II, who squandered the wealth of the Ton, reducing them to their poorest moment so far. They could not even maintain an army. After King Orgrim of the Nimhin was sealed in a cave in 4190 by his son Sigvald, the Nimhin took their chance and expanded their territory to the site of Holm, an expansion which could not be stopped by the poor and defenceless Ton. The next year King Sigmun II of the Wul died a natural death, ending his dynasty. He was replaced by King Volund II who reigned for 19 years, of which almost nothing has been recorded. In 4193 King Sigvald of the Nimhin died a natural death and was replaced by his son, King Hamon II, a popular ruler. The next year, King Ulfred II of the Ton was forced to abdicate after riots and was replaced by his daughter, Queen Esmerelda, a good and kind queen who restored much of the Ton's old wealth and restored some of the military. In 4196, upon the death of King Rorn of the Syk, King Labjorn took control of the Syk tribe. The old King's brother was very different in his ways and tried to reinstate shamanism, but luckily was thwarted by his brother, King Thrym II, in 4198. King Thrym II, a powerful mage, helped his people prosper for many years. ''Vol. 4 - The 43rd Century ''In the year 3E 4201, King Fargus of the Harad abdicated in favour of his son Nidud, having been pressurised by him to do so. King Nidud III, as he came to be known, was previously a famed Haradian hunter who was noted for his strength, bravery and resolve. King Nidud III of the Harad became a symbol of Haradian wealth and power, and the tribe benifited greatly from that. In the south, it was a different story with the Feim. King Oleg's cruelty had become too much to bear and a popular uprising in 4202 spelled the end of the 1st Feim Dynasty. The popular leader, Soren, ascended to the throne by popular demand and ruled the rest of his reign peacefully. This peace did not extend to the court of King Hamon II of the Nimhin who, in 4206, was assassinated by his nephew Poll, about whose reign nothing is known. The next year, Queen Esmerelda of the Ton died a mysterious death and was replaced by her brother, King Bartrand. Although many rumours and conspiracy theories seem to have existed pertaining to the queen's death, very little recorded history from the following period of Bartrand's rule exists today. King Bartrand's rule did not last very long, however, as in 4210 his reign ended (although evidence is lacking, his death is the most likely cause) and he was replaced by his son, Skulvar II, a renowned monster hunter. In the same year, King Volund II of the Wul was assassinated by Torrin, a man of no relationship to Volund. King Torrin, as he came to be known, was incredibly militaristic and did much to bring together and strengthen the Wul's fighting force. He was also openly hateful towards the Orm tribe, and brought the two tribes to the brink of war many times. In 4211, the peaceful King Soren of the Feim abdicated due to his old age. Briefly, his son acended to the throne, but Soren's nephew Knut, nicknamed Knut the Bear, killed him and his brothers, securing the throne for himself. King Knut the Bear was fierce and cruel and expanded the Feim territory all the way to roughly where Sudbaya's southern border is today, displacing many local homesteads in the process. The next year another ruler abdicated peacefully, this time Queen Aeda of the Temir, ending her dynasty with her abdication. Fortunately, the transition of rulership into the hands of King Ralof II was peaceful, unlike the Feim's transition of power the previous year. King Ralof II's reign brought much economic prosperity, but unfortuantely, like King Knut the Bear, brute force, this time aimed against the poor and down-trodden Syks, was employed to achieve it. Four years later, in 4216, King Poll of the Nimhin died of an unknown illness and was replaced by his wife, Queen Bjarla. In ancient Sudbaya there were few reasons why a woman should ascend to absoloute power over any tribe, and without a doubt the reason as to why Bjarla replaced Poll would be interesting. Unfortunately, as with so many pieces of information from this era, there is no recorded historical evidence in existence. In 4218, the militaristic King Torrin of the Wul abdicated peacefully and was replaced by his nephew, King Torg II, who, like his uncle, continued to expand the military of the Wul tribe. Two years later, to the north of the Wul, King Nidud III of the Harad abdicated. He however was forced to abdicate by none other than his wife, Ingrid, who became the first queen of the Harad. Through the use of old tribal laws, remnants of the matriarchal days, she maintained legitimate power and, although many were originally opposed to her rule, she ruled peacefully and well and swayed them to her side, where they remained loyal even to her death. In fact, so great a ruler and so religious she was, that many rumours existed, claiming she was advised by a Valkyrie. A few years after taking power, her husband Nidud died, but by then, nobody really cared. In the north of Sudbaya, King Skulvar II of the Ton, renowned monster-hunter-turned-king, set his sights on a new 'monster', the Nimhin. In 4222, he led his people north in pillaged much of what is now West Peramol, driving the Nimhin north in what came to be known as the 1st Ton-Nimhin war. Two years later, in 4224, he had pushed them back to Peran. The Ton, eager for plunder and glory, may have continued to tear through the Nimhin, but unfavourable omens were observed and Skulvar II of the Ton put together a hasty peace treaty with Queen Bjarla, ending the war and sparing the Nimhin. As the war in the north began came grinding to a halt, King Torg II of the Wul was assassinated by his own son, King Mjor the Just, so named for his fairness in the dealings with his people. Mjor began repairing relations with the Orm tribe, but his predecesors' actions had damaged teh relationship beyond simple repair. Two years later, in 4226, the Nimhin were up in arms against their queen, Queen Bjarla. In the minds of the Nimhin, their weakness had derived from their poor leadership, the leadership of a woman no less. Treasonous plots began surfacing throughout the Nimhin territory. Bjarla, eager to keep her head between her shoulders, abdicated peacefully and was replaced by a popular leader, King Bjorn, who did much in his reign to rebuild the lost wealth of the Nimhin. FINISHED 4226 '' '' Category:Sudbaya Category:Lore Entry Category:Game Lore Category:History